Beautiful Lie
by WonderWomanForEver
Summary: Left with no one but her daughters, having lost her husband and her rightful crown, Diana seeks help and support from an old friend, where she meets the brooding, mysterious, and feared by many King Bruce and faces the most peculiar proposal of her life... Rated M for later chapters and occasional cursing!
1. Homeless

**Hello everyone and welcome to my new story!**

**It's my first attempt to write an AU, much less a medieval one. Therefore, every comment would be much appreciated and constructive criticism would be priceless!**

**So, we're on a medieval, Game Of Thrones-ish world, where all our heroes from Justice League are nobles, Knights, Kings, Queens, members of the Court, criminals, rogues or just mere commoners who mingle with the lives of the lords in a funny or sad way. I can't let you know anything, because all will be revealed in the story to come!**

**Thank you very much for reading this and for giving my new story a chance! I really hope you like it and support as you do to all my other ones!**

**May you have a very pleasant and satisfying reading!**

It wasn't the first time she was present at a funeral. Her homeland was notorious of its bellicosity, therefore wars were commonplace and funerals of the fallen warriors even more. Just recalling memories from her lost home brought a sob on her throat, along with many others from the current events. She had truly been to more funerals than she could count, but this one was utterly different. She had never mourned a beloved husband before, nor was she accompanied by her two daughters, the only ones she had left in life anymore.

Diana, former Princess of the mighty Kingdom of Themiscyra, rose her eyes from the ground to gaze upon the lifeless body of her husband, Stephen Trevor, the man she'd loved with all her heart and sacrificed everything to be with him, the father of her daughters, the person who had supported and aided her more than any other. She hesitantly let go of her eldest daughter's hand and touched his cold cheek. Instantly, his final moments of life resurfaced in her memory. They seemed as old as her childhood ones, but those memories came from the previous night.

_She stood by his side, watching him suffering just by breathing. The fluctuation of his chest seemed to cause him unbearable pain and sharp moans frequently escaped his lips, each hitting her heart like arrows from a crossbow. His deathbed was their wedding bed, the one where they had slept together for the first time, where she had given birth twice, and now she had to watch him dying slowly. She had clutched his hand to hers, trying to reassure him everything would be alright._

_"I haven't stopped praying to Asclepius, Apollo, and Ygeia. They will hear my prayers and save you," she told him, wholeheartedly believing in their miracle._

_He had just smiled weakly at her. That smile always warmed her heart and filled her with hope. Now, it added to her bitterness._

_"Diana, when I'm dead, which will be sooner than you believe, I want you to take care of our daughters as you always have done. I trust you will ensure their happiness and prosperity."_

_"That I will do," Diana nodded, while trying to suppress a rising sob on her throat. "But, don't say you'll die. I won't let it happen."_

_"There in nothing you can do, my love. Not anymore."_

_"I have never surrendered to an enemy in all my life. I will fight with you for your life. We will thrive together."_

_"When the enemy is Death, victory is always his."_

_"It's always been us against the whole world. I doubt Death can hardly be an equal opponent."_

_Stephen smiled again, this time broader. Diana squeezed his hand and to her dismay felt it growing colder by each passing moment._

_"I love you, Diana, and I'll never stop, even in death," she heard him exhaling weakly. Instead of replying, she strode his cheek affectionately, with all the tenderness she could master at this bleak, dismal, and tenebrous moment._

_"Where are the girls? Where are Anassa and Cassandra?" He asked again, searching for their daughters, the fruit of their love._

"_It's late. They went to sleep," Diana replied with a half true. It was a few hours past midnight and the girls needed rest, yet she had almost forced them to sleep, since they wanted to stay by their father's side. Their mother insisted they didn't; didn't want them to witness Stephen's passing._

_"Diana, look after them, take good care. You are all they have now," he whispered with all the willpower he was left with. "Remember, I will always, always, love you-"_

_He wanted to say more, he didn't want to stop confessing his love to her, but his senses betrayed and abandoned him. He fainted to unconsciousness and never opened his eyes again. A few moments later, his heart stopped._

Recalling this, brought new tears to Diana's eyes and new sobs to her throat, but she didn't allow herself to look weak in front of her children. She had to be strong for them, therefore she took her hand from Stephen's cheek to hold Anassa's hand again.

The funeral was short. Even if Diana's religion as well as her daughters' was that of the Gods Of Olympus, following the tradition of her homeland, Stephen was an atheist, hence they hadn't proceeded into any litanies or ceremonial procedures. Some priest came from the village, prayed for his soul, and left, after consoling the mourning family quite a few times. Once he left, Diana prepared a pyre with logs and put him there. She threw a burning torch and the pyre was wreathed in fire, along with Stephen's corpse. She and her daughters stood in front of it for a time, staring at the fire intently, letting the heat warm them and dry their ready eyes.

"Etsi timame tous nekrous iroes sti Themiscyra," (That's how we honor the fallen heroes in Themiscyra.) Diana shouted proudly. For her, Stephen was the greatest hero of all she had the fortune to meet.

The girls looked at her questioningly, momentarily forgetting their sorrow. She had spoken Greek, the language of her homeland. They hadn't heard her speaking this since the day they had left Themiscyra. That was ten years ago; Anassa was almost five, while Cassandra just two years old. What did this mean? Could they go back there and take their rights place as part of the royal family, like their father always said? For their mother had never spoken of Themiscyra ever again, though she teached them both her mother tongue and they were as fluent speakers as her.

"As gyrisoume sto spiti. Tha epistrepso argotera edo, gia na mazepso ti stahti," (Let's return to the house. I shall came back here later, in order to gather the cinders.) Diana said and they followed her back, leaving their father's heroic pyre to burn down. As soon as they entered the house and closed the door behind them, the dripping sound of rain filled their ears.

They ate their poor meal in silence, no one daring to say a word, since they didn't know what to say. After some time, when their mother washed the dishes and the glasses they used, the younger girl, Cassandra, decided to ask her about what was going to happen to them from now on. However, just as she opened her mouth, they heard a knock on the door and Diana rushed to open it cautiously, signing them to go to their room and lock two door, in case it was anyone with bad intentions.

The person she outfaced when she opened the door was the last she expected.

"Artemis?"

"Diana!" Her old friend and partner from Themiscyra exclaimed when saw her.

They exchanged a few heartfelt hugs and finally sat down on some footstools.

"I learned about Stephen and came as soon as I could," the redhead said, clutching Diana's hand, which surprised her, for she wasn't used to such sentimentalities from this fierce warrior. She didn't ask how she knew so quickly, because she had grown up in Themiscyra, where the pool of Hera, a gift from the goddess herself, could show them anything they desired anytime.

"Thank you," it was all she could say and they continued their conversation in Greek. "How is home?"

"Just as you left it, even though I believe that since you left all is bleaker, given the never ending sorrow in your mother's eyes."

"I am not pleased to acknowledge that, but there is nothing I can do for it anymore," Diana replied as a matter of fact. "It was her decision to exile me."

A short period of silence followed and then Diana broke it kindly.

"How is Shayera?"

Her thoughts had lingered on her friend more than once in the past ten years. Shayera was not an Amazon born, she came from the far Kingdom of Thanagar, and seeked sanctuary on Themiscyra, which she was granted. Ever since, she had stayed in the palace and was raised alongside Diana, forming a very strong bond of friendship with her.

"She could not withstand your leaving, therefore she exiled herself shortly after you left, roaming the world for adventure and a new home," Artemis answered her question.

"May the Gods help those who will stand in her way," Diana remarked and they both laughed.

"I believe that the Gods should look after you for the time being," Artemis pointed out, bringing severity back.

"I just need to ensure my daughters' security and safety," Diana admitted with a sigh. "I don't care what happens to me, but they must have the best of lives."

"Have you thought of anything yet?"

"Apparently, I can't go back to Themiscyra -even though I miss home like Hades and Tartarus combined- however I have started thinking on leaving this house and going further into the West."

"How so?" Artemis questioned. It was widely known that the Western Lands were deeply despised by Queen Hippolyta, Diana's mother, an opinion she had entailed to her daughter. She had traveled there on her younger years and faced patriarchy at its peak, naming it _Man's World _as an agnomenpejoratively.

Diana stared right into her green eyes for a brief moment and then pinned her glance at the firmly closed door, which was being castigated by the rain.

"Something tells me that I must leave this land and head west. This is where my destiny will unravel, where the Moirai will reveal what they reserve."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Just a feeling," Diana replied absentmindedly. "Or mere curiousness to finally get to see the majestic Kingdom of Metropolis with my own eyes."

"Or the sombre and murky Kingdom of Gothamia," Artemis added with a spark in her eye.

Then, a hissing echoed right behind her children's door and Diana let a suspicious grin adorn her face.

"Look who have been eavesdropping all this time," she exclaimed, before revealing her daughters, who bombarded her with queries.

**That's the end of the first chapter! Let me know what you thought of it in the comments!**

**First of all, the girl named Anassa is no other but Donna. I didn't want to use that name for her, because it's neither medieval nor Greek. It's Italian, meaning _Lady. _Therefore, I decided to replace it with the Greek version, which is _Arhontissa. _Too big, right? That's why I chose the similar _Anassa, _which means Queen.**

**Second of all, I'm a Greek native, Greek is my mother tongue, and since it's Diana's as well, I thought it'd be nice to show some Greek dialogue. Πώς σας φάνηκαν; (How where they?)**

**Now, as for my edition of Diana. I know that in most, if not all, the AU Fanfics where Donna and Cassie appear they're her sisters and not her daughters. Yet, I thought that it would be very interesting to explore Diana's figure as a mother, the responsibility, the protectiveness, the worries, etcetera. After all, I saw it as a writing challenge ;)**

**Anyway, let me know what you think in the comments! Once more, thank you very much for reading my story! The next chapter has the introductions of Batman, Alfred and the BatFamily, along with Hawkgirl, Green Lantern (John Stewart, but we may get to see Jessica Cruz as well later), The Flash, Catwoman, and more!**


	2. A King's Court

Metropolis and Gothamia were neighbours, the one's borders beginning just where the other's ended. From afar, they looked like one and the same, built upon two identical, mountain tops abreast. Yet, their similarities ended there. Metropolis looked like a realm bathed in light, full of busy streets, local merchants who thrived, buildings of magnificent architecture, and a smile on every subject's face. However, Gothamia was the exact opposite.

Most people believed that realm was cursed, that some fiendish magician had put a spell on it and condemned it to eternal erebus, desolation, penury, and feloniousness. Every sort of delinquents and outlaws roamed the Kingdom's streets day and night, yet specifically at nightfall its condition grew insufferably dire, overwhelmingly hideous. No one, man or woman, adult or child, could wander, meander or merely walk on the cobbled roads and streets without an overly high risk of their own lives. This was the first lesson every child was taught after standing on their feet; _never to be out of their house's safety after sunset. _Obviously, not even the houses were safe but they could definitely provide some protection better than an alley or a narrow street, with dim light and dark corners.

All this decadence was a result of two decades of defective governing by King Bruce's Regents. His parents had been taken from him on to the Eternal Kingdom of the Dead, while he was but eight years old. Apparently, he couldn't be crowned King at that age, therefore a few Viseroys were cursorily elected from the Council of Nobles, to rule for him until his coming of age. Those men had destroyed his Kingdom, spending all the money from the treasury on vain gatherings, luscious dinners, and prodigalities of each specimen. In order, of course, to maintain an income, they had deliberately increased taxes to an overwhelming amount, which brought the peasants to their knees and on the verge of pauperisation. In the end, they had loved their positions of profiteering so much that they didn't want to let them go, when Bruce would be old enough to sit on his rightful throne. Therefore, Sir Alfred, the Lord Chamberlain of the Palace, had sent the Prince away secretly, to the Kingdom of Metropolis, where he was raised along with his peer Prince Kal until the age of twelve, when he returned to Gothamia, to be properly educated and instructed to become a King.

As he neared manhood, though, Bruce didn't feel ready to wear a crown of such a troubled nation. Therefore, he left Lord Alfred himself as Viceroy and had traveled around the world. He was fortunate enough not only to visit majestic and palatial places such as the Bare Mountains of Thanagar, where winged warriors lived more like hawks, predatory and fierce, than people, or Oa, the Oaken Valley, the far off land of the Green Lanterns, the peaceable monks who guarded the greatest power in the world and trained the most brilliant, promising and valiant fighters. He had lived there for a whole year and was fortunate enough to meet his most loyal knight, Sir John Stewart, who gained himself the agnomen "The Emerald Knight", as soon as they returned to Gothamia, given the dark green armor he proudly wore.

Yet, his greatest journey was on the Black Cordillera, the mountains where he had met the infamous League of Assassins and Court of Owls, the deadliest armies in the world, that rarely emerged from their dens and were considered rather legendary than real. That was where he had completed his military training and evolved himself into a skilled, ruthless, relentless fighter, an indefatigable, unwavering and insurmountable combatant. He was raised with the ways of the Occident, yet his eastern travels infused the Orient in his mind as well, chiselling an intelligent, wise and cunning mind, along with a character both gallant and lupine, magnificent and parlous.

When he returned to Gothamia for good, after travelling abroad for six years, he felt ready, mature and savant enough to govern and rule justly, honourably, like his late parents had before him. He was twenty two years old back then, full of spirit, vigour, and ardour, eager to submerge himself to work for his state and people. Back then, he could not realise how deleterious his decision to leave was.

His kingdom had befallen to an even worse state as he remembered it and it was only thanks to his loyal Chamberlain that it was not completely corrupt and descended into chaos and anarchy. Malefaction was the law and Felony the leader. The people lived in constant fear and terror, rectitude was rewarded with violence, lawfulness with rancour and erudition with obscurantism. Some very powerful men had slinked from the murky shadows and squalid sewers in the highest places of sway, whether that was the Cities' Guard or The Council of Nobles or the Squirearchy Senate. Bruce had sincerely thanked the Occidental Gods, for keeping Lord Alfred alive, having miraculously survived numerous attempts on his life. The old knight and Chamberlain could not trust a single soul, apart from a few who had been devoted to Good King Thomas and sworn fealty to his only son and heir. Most of those people, however, had been assassinated through the years of the Prince's absence.

Yet, when Bruce's return was widely known, Lord Alfred has welcomed him to the capital and the Palace, as if nothing was wrong.

_"Your Majesty," he cordially exclaimed, bowing his head in homage to the oncoming sovereign. He had deliberately addressed him as a King, not as a Prince, to remind to everyone who could listen that their rightful ruler had come back for evermore._

_"Alfred," was the equally warm response of Bruce, who leaned in and hugged the older man, quite surprising him._

_"Did you enjoy your sails, my Liege?" Alfred inquired, maintaining a straight face, while his eyes scrutinised the young man, to realise that he was indeed changed._

_"They certainly helped me feel better about wearing that heavy, golden wreath on my head," Bruce retorted, making Alfred smirk for a split second. "I shall tell you all about them later. But first, let me introduce you my new friend, Sir John Stewart of the Oaken Valley."_

_Alfred inspected the foreigner closely, with curiosity and scrutiny. He had heard about the Oa Monks, their discipline, learning and loyalty and thought that if this dark skinned man clad in green had proven himself to the Prince, he would have his trust as well. He nodded in approval, welcoming the "Emerald Knight" on the Palace formally. The tall man answered humbly and respectfully, which seemed to please the Lord Chamberlain._

_"Your Royal Highness, would you like to bathe and refresh yourself?" He finally asked, aiming to ensure some time to have a private conversation with Bruce out of prying ears._

_A simple eye sign was enough to make himself clear. Bruce did not need another indication. It had been six years since his last conversation with the oldster, nevertheless he had not forgotten his lessons on the "Shadow Language" as Alfred called the physical signs of Gothamia's spies, whom he used to lead aforetime._

The information he had gathered that day from his Chamberlain were naught but noisome and ominous. As soon as he learned about the stupendous, almost uncontrollable delinquency that reigned his provinces, his heart had sunk. When he heard that no one around him could be trusted, he was devastated and mad at himself foremost. He realised his foolishness, aberration and folly of leaving his frangible homeland in order to _travel the world and she its wonders. _Undoubtedly, he had bocome a better and more intelligent person, though he did not know if his qualities would suffice to restore and rebuild all that was vitiated and decadent.

King Bruce shook his head, trying to ignore his troubled thoughts, his farrago of guilt and insecurities that still haunted him, eight years after his formal return and solemn coronation. He sat up on his gargantuan bed and let the faint sunlight of dawn, the _Aurora gleam_, as his mother called it once, bathe his half naked form. He secretly loved waking up this early, for he felt that silver light as some sort of expiatory fire, one that could cleanse him from his past errors.

Then, he heard the woman next to him stir, and felt a bit guilty for wearing her as well. Just when he was about to touch and lull her back to sleep, the door opened and closed with a sudden and thunderous thud. He did not even need to look to recognise the only person in the country who would storm his bedroom at that hour and in such curt manner.

"What is it, Shayera?" He asked in a rough from sleep voice, no less displeased though, for her obvious intrusion.

"Your Majesty," the Commander of the _Shadows _addressed him, utterly lackadaisical and indifferent to the female presence in his bed. After a swift bow of her head, shoulders and wings, she moved to the matter at hand. "Lord Alfred is concerned and restless for an affair that only you can determine."

"Which is?" Bruce urged her to go on, his hand finding his bedfellow's smooth back.

"Your birthday celebration and ball, my Liege," Shayera explained, quite impatiently.

Obviously, she had other places to be and felt that this was a waste of time. King Bruce hated balls and grand feasts on the Palace, yet they were obligatory for a man of his status.

"No need for that, Shayera," he grunted, not bothering to hide his disapproval and ennui, even at the thought of weeks of organising, planning and spending preposterous amounts of money. "I would rather invite all the peasants and panhandlers of Gothamia to supper than those nobles, who cannot be pleased with anything, gossip and twitter like girls constantly."

"You shall be thirty years old next month," Shayera pointed out boldly. "And, given your current state, it would be wise to consider the choice of a-"

"I believe you should reduce your time in Alfred's presence," Bruce interrupted her, while standing up. "Apparently, he has succeeded in instilling his senile and obsolete ideas to your young brain as well. What an oxymoron! Now, Shayera, I order you to leave my chamber at once. In case you and Alfred had forgotten, _I _am the King and _I _shall make the final decision of how to celebrate my accurst birthday. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," was her only reply, though his conspiratorial wink was enough to persuade her that he was in his usual act, the one of a carefree and benign man, so far from reality. "Shall you have your breakfast with the boys?"

"Yes, but not so soon," Bruce answered, stroking the naked woman's neck. She did not care to be seen by Shayera. After all, it was not the first time she caught them like that. "I have some unfinished business here and it shall be over in an hour or so."

The winged warrior of Thanagar could not help but roll her eyes tiredly.

"Very well," she made to leave, not willing to stay for even another minute. "Do not be too loud, though. The servants make too much fun with you."

The startled eyes of the dark haired liaison of her King was all she needed to smirk widely and continue her day in jocundity.

"What a crusty woman," Selene Kyle remarked, after they were finally left alone once again. "It's evident she yearns for a man's touch and cannot have it because of her brutishness."

"Unlike you," Bruce signalised with a wicked smile and bent down to kiss her fiercely. It was going to be a long day and her warm comfort would slacken him.

...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...-...

**Hello, everyone and thank you very much for waiting for this update! I hope it was ample for the months it took.**

**Firstly, I have got to thank all those amazing people who followed, favourited, and reviewed, they truly urged me to update again!**

**I would love it if you all did actually, reviews are the only ones that keep me going! It is a book truly challenging but I am delighted and motivated to write, when I know you like it or not (why not?)**

**Anyway, thank you very much once more and let us proceed in a few explanations of that chapter.**

**Selene Kyle is obviously Selina Kyle, I just changed her name a bit, to make it more Medieval. Now, it looks quite Greek and means "Moon". ;) Her character will unveil in the upcoming chapters.**

**As for the Batfamily, they will all be presented in the next chapter and I can tell you there are quite many of them!**

**Now, Shayera and John! God, I cannot wait to write their interactions! How Shayera came to be there, after her vagrancy around the world after leaving Themiscyra will be explained later as well.**

**Lastly, a question for you.**

**Would you like to see more flashbacks about Bruce's travels and childhood in Metropolis, with Kal?**

**Have a great day and take care!**


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